London, 11 December 2018 - In response to the UK government backtracking on the suspension of its 'Golden Visa’ schemes, Naomi Hirst, Senior Anti-Corruption Campaigner at Global Witness said:

“This ludicrous u-turn is keeping Britain’s doors open to the super-rich, who can continue to buy residency for £2 million, which they get back with interest. The corruption risks inherent in these schemes was serious enough for Caroline Nokes to suspend them last week, so what’s changed? For a government so keen on taking back control of its borders, this is not just an embarrassment, it’s shameful.”